Electrical appliance



Oct. 16, 1934. E, JOHNSON 1,976,939

ELECTRICAL APPLIANCE Filed March 21, 1932 FIG. 1

Patented 16, 1934 PATENT OFFICE Ernest S.

ELECTRICAL APPLIANCE Johnson, deceased, late of Belleville,

111., by Elizabeth Johnson, executrix, East St. Louis, 111., assignor to Knapp-Monarch Company, a corporation of Missouri Application March zl, 1932, Serial No. 600,285

1 Claim.

The invention relates to a new and improved method of assemblypf electrical apparatus, and the construction of the parts to facilitatesuch improved assembly.

The invention is shown in connection with an electric pressing or fiat ironbut it of course, applicable to other electrically heated devices. Heretofore, a great deal of trouble has been experienced'in the assembly of pressing irons and like appliances-by reason of complications incident to making the electrical connections between the electrical resistance or heater element and the externally projecting terminal pins used in conjunction with a detachable connector 5 plug to.connect the appliance to the source of eleetrical'energy; V W his one object oijthe'invention to provide an improved method'of assembly of electrical appliances wherebythe assembly of the heater portion does not require'the making of any electrical connections the assembly operation. r

It is another object of v the invention to provide a method of assembly of an appliance and for the construction of parts whereby when the same are assembled together the external terminal pinsare mountedin final assembled positionreadyioruses e It is a further object of the invention to provide a me hod of assembling the heater element of an electrical appliance whereby the external terminal pins for the connector plug are mounted objects of the invention the iollowing specifica ion't p with, t m ny- 1; in section, and with awam ot an electric. imn

the features of the invention;

It further object of the inventionito (c1. era-25) -proved heater element for use in the electric iron of Fig. l, and

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the heater element of Fig. 2 showing a modified arrangement for mounting the terminal pins.

It will be apparent from the following description that the features of this invention are applicable to various electrically heated appliances and that various types of heating elements may be constructed in accordance with the principies hereinafter set forth. For purposes of illustration, the disclosure shows the invention applied to an electric pressing iron and shows an imbedded and sheathed type of heating element.

The heating element 11 is composed of a sheathwhich comprises a pair of legs 12 and 13 joined together at the forward end, as indicated at 14 in 'Fig. 2, and bridged at the rear end by throughout except for the bridge 15 which contains a protuberance 16. In the form shown, the protuberance comprises a. forward inclined wall 17 and a. rear wall 18xwhich is an extension of the rear wall of the sheath. The wall 18 is not as high as the wall l7,--consequently when the two are joined by upper wall 19, the same is inclined rearwardly. The wall 19 is provided with a pair of apertures around each of which is a boss 21. This sheath may be stamped of sheet metal with the necessary drawing operations to form the protuberance 16. The purpose of the construction to provide the protuberance 16 is to elevate this part of the heating element so as to support a pair of terminal pins 22, and the inclinedwall 19 thereof is designed to support the pins in proper position for use in thejfinal assembly of the appli ance, in this case'the pressing iron. The terminal' pins 22 are smooth at their upper ends as indicated, being adapted for use with the usual type of detachable connector plug used for connecting the appliance to the source of current supply. In theufor'mshown in Figs. 1 and 2 the smooth upper 'ends'are each provided with an integral head 23.

respectively locatedfabo've and below the sheath.

The aperturw are alsoiot greater diameter than the pin 22. electric ce with a screw threaded portion of the terminal pin 22. .The strands of the resistance element 26 are then laid in place in the sheath 11 and the opposite end of the resistance element 26 is con nected to the opposite terminal pin 22, this. assembly being held in position by means of a sec ond nut 27.

The strands of resistance wire 26 may be already coated with an argillous insulating material before being placed in the sheath or the sheath may be filled with such argillous material before and after the resistance element 26 is set in place. In either event, the element 11 is smoothed off between the side walls of the sheath as indicated at 28. In the form shown. in the drawing I do not continue the sheath across this surface 28 although if desired the sheath may be so continued.

In the form shown in'Fig. 3, the terminal pin 22 is not mounted in the heater element when it is assembled. Instead, the ends of the resistance element are secured to a pair of screws 51 which project through the apertures in the protuberance 16. The screws are held in place by a pair of nuts 52.

After the element has been heat treated, or at the time of final assembly about to be described, the pins 22' each having the enlarged portion 53 in the form of a'nut are screwed upon the projecting ends of the screws 51, where they are in the proper .position for use when finally assembled in the completed pressing iron.

It is apparent that by this method of assembly there is provided now in a single unit the heating element suitable for use in a pressing or flat iron. with all electrical connections made, and with the externally projecting terminal pins elevated above the level of the heating element and mounted in position ready for assembly in. the

flat iron.

Obviously if the heating element is to be constructed for some other appliance, the built-up portion for the mounting of the terminal pins may be extended in any direction and to any distance in. order to bring the terminal pins into proper position in the completed appliance and to obviate the necessity for the making of any electrical connections during the final assembly operation.

For illustration of the simplified assembly, reference is made to the drawing. The pressing iron comprises a sole plate 31, the bottom of which is polished. The upper surface of the sole plate contains a recess 32 into which is fitted the assembled heating element 11 heretofore described. A weighted pressure plate 33 having a depending portion '34, which fits between the joined legs 12 and 18 of the heating element 11,-

overlies andrests upon the top of the heating element except for the cut-away portion 35 at the rear which provides space for the accommodation of the protuberance 16.

The mounting of these three elementsthe sole plate 31, the heating element 11, and the pressure plate 33-may be accomplished by the bolt and nut' assemblies indicated at 36 and 3'1. Over the assembled unit and-cooperating with the sole plate 31 is a cover plate 38.through which the upper ends of the bolts 36 and 37 project. The handle 39 isfitted in place upon the cover 38 with the ends of the bolts 36 and 3'7 projecting through the base thereof, and the nuts 40 and 41' are applied respectively to the projecting ends of the bolts 36 and 37 so asto secure the whole together.

At the rear end the cover plate has an inclined portion 43 in which may be one or more apertures, one of which is indicated at 44, through which the terminal pins 22 project. It will be noted that the pins 22 project from the body of the pressing iron at what has been established as the most convenient angle for the attaching and detaching of the connector plug through which the electric energy is supplied to the resistance element 26.

It will beseen that the final assembly of this appliance has been accomplished with a minimum of operations and without the necessity for making any electrical connections either to the resistanceelement 26 or to the terminal pins 22. I

Modifications maybe made in the arrangement and location of parts within the spirit and scope of my invention, and such modifications are intended to be covered by the appended claim.

What is claimed:

In a heating element assembly for an electric appliance having a housing provided with an opening, a metal casing in the form of a closed loop having at one point thereon a protuberance terminating in a surface arranged at an angle relative to the general plane of the casing,

a heating element coiled within said casing,- 

